


oats we sow

by cexies



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alcohol, F/M, Humanstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-26
Updated: 2013-02-26
Packaged: 2017-12-03 15:53:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/699964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cexies/pseuds/cexies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>request: Kankri/Terezi with Kankri looking after Terezi :3C If you can make it so Kankri is still celibate I'll love you forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	oats we sow

Even as they all approach adulthood with their serious jobs and lives, Meenah Pexies is still throwing parties. Kankri isn't even sure she needs a reason anymore, in fact, half the time he thinks the reason is just to get under his skin. Every time she throws one, he declines, then she mentions Latula or Porrim and he ends up dragging himself over anyway. He always spends the evening skimming around drinks and, instead, trying to start conversations with others. This is often impossible when everyone else is drinking, and his stays are often as short as they are sporadic. Aranea's birthday is quickly becoming the same way, and by the time he starts noticing the underage drinkers, Kankri is firmly leaving. He almost reaches the door before a drunk Latula finds him, rambling about Terezi and other assorted names that he doesn't recognize. With a strange feeling, he agrees to go find her and check on her, Latula's form disappearing as soon as it appeared.

He finds Terezi talking to a boy he doesn't recognize, but doesn't approach her at first. Kankri hangs around the doorway, simply watching her body language. She's obviously good friends with him, laughing at almost every word that comes out of his mouth before swapping drinks with him. It quickly becomes obvious that she's as drunk as her sister, probably more so with a simple examination of her body weight compared to the amount of alcohol she seems to have consumed and hoarded. Something bubbles up within him, and Kankri finds it difficult to just stand and watch any longer.

"Terezi," he greets, frowning as she fails to grasp where his voice is coming from--far too drunk.

"Kankri," she grins, face bursting into a smile that beats that one she was flashing to the other boy. There's misplaced pride in such a reaction, but he pushes it aside. Terezi has been subtly hitting on him for weeks, hanging around his classroom and all but intimidating him into talking to her. He's known her all her life, but such a flirtacious and, frankly, dangerous side to her has never been so obvious to him before. The way he notices her more is definitely down to such behavior; she is just a student and he is just a teacher, connected through familial ties and mutual friendships.

"Latula wanted me to check on you."

"Isn't he so thoughtful?" She turns to her friend, who seems to be eyeing Kankri up with some kind of weight--not that the elder man can look behind his glasses to know what exactly it is he's sizing.

"Sounds like your sister just talked him into doing her dirty work," the friend comments, and Kankri can feel himself tense. Of course, that really is what happened but Kankri can't work out why the simple dismissal of his actions agitate him so much. 

"You're so mean," Terezi simply laughs in response, elongating the vowels in 'mean' as she leans closer to her friend. She presses a kiss against his cheek, with the boy's vision still directed at him. It unnerves Kankri, and he has no idea what their relationship is or why they seem to be working together, against Kankri. The boy finally breaks the assumed eye contact, leaning into Terezi to whisper something into her ear. She giggles again, and Kankri feels a flash of an emotion he can't place.

"How much have you had to drink?" Kankri frowns, trying to recall any time when Terezi has actually partaken in drinking--she is usually another of the small minority who abstain.

"Not enough if we're still both using our mouths to talk." She attempts to wink at him, but ends up blinking instead. Still, the implications of her words are not lost on him, and he finds his mouth speaking words he didn't give it permission to form.

"Latula wants me to drive you home, you've obviously tried to consume half of Meenah's collection here. Can you even walk?"

Terezi's grin slowly fades from something light into something more twisted, as if he's fallen into her plans. In some respects, Kankri guesses he has. "Let's find out!" She exclaims, standing up and almost falling straight back over. Her friend calmly pushes her back up, and Kankri notes how he's slowly moving inches away from them. Kankri doesn't know why he's pleased by this.

"You can barely stand, let alone walk," he sighs, ignoring the hum of the crowd around them and offering a hand out to Terezi. She takes it, falling against his chest with another laugh. He hates to admit how pretty she is when she's happy, trying to focus on the fact that she is still trying to seduce him, and he is not weak enough to break. He just has to show her that he's the adult here and that her games are not going to work on him. Still, even though it's a bad idea to take her home, he can't just leave her here. Everyone else seems to be just as drunk, and her friend is suddenly nowhere to be found--how did he even move so fast? Shaking his head, Kankri tilts it down towards the body leaning against him, her own head lifting up to look at him. Even though shes's legally blind, Terezi has retained some vision and it flusters him to make eye contact and know all her attention is on him. "Let's go," he prompts her, moving her to the side of him instead of trying to push her from behind. She happily attaches herself to his arm, swinging around on it from the distortion of the alcohol on her balance. He carefully guides her to Meenah's front door, only coming into contact with Damara. Terezi visibly tenses against his side, and he shrugs off Damara with promises to talk later because right now he has to help Terezi.

He swears the younger girl pokes her tongue out.

Outside in the cool air, Kankri begins to doubt his decision. This isn't going to end well at all: he can already feel himself enjoying her company, almost laughing himself as she narrowly avoids tripping over everything. His hands firmly rest in a platonic position on her shoulder, only ever tightening to stop her from falling. They eventually make it to the car in one piece, and Terezi all but falls inside of it.

"You live by Karkat still, correct?" Kankri confirms as he joins her in the car. She makes a face but nods in agreement, and he decides he doesn't want to push the issue. However, there is one issue that needs to be addressed  and maybe she'll be more open about her intentions when drunk.

"Terezi," he begins, and her attention instantly snaps to him. It's strange, most people drag their eyes in the opposite direction. It throws him off, but Kankri is quick to recover. "About these... Advances you keep making."

"What about them?" There's an undertone to her reply, and Kankri thinks it might be hope--but that would be silly.

"They need to stop. It's not appropriate for a school environment. I understand that college isn't as strict as high school, but that doesn't mean you can befriend staff by making such," he pauses, fumbling to find a word that politely describes Terezi's insinuations. "Requests."

"I'm not doing it to all the staff," she huffs, almost looking upset by his answer--which again, is silly for him to interpret her emotions in such a way.

"Even if you are just doing it to me, don't you think it's wrong to risk our friendship over a crisis of power? Especially between Latula and Karkat, what do you think they'd say about your... Behavior."

"Why do you keep bringing them up? It's not as if Karkat's my mom and Latula wouldn't mind."

"It's not something that can be discarded so quickly," Kankri sighs, knuckles beginning to clench against the wheel. "Your sister is my best friend, and my brother is your best friend. Latula would break every bone in my facial construction and Karkat would never speak to me again. And this is purely hypothetical, just consequences that could occur from being so reckless--I'm not saying that it will happen or that I'm considering it."

"You're so full of shit," Terezi slurs, eyebrows bunching in an irritated cluster. Kankri has no choice but to pull his eyes away from her, firmly concentrating on the road. He can't grasp why she won't back down over this whole affair: is there some kind of point she wants to push further? Sighing softly, he tries again.

"You are pretty Terezi: intelligent and cunning. There are so many desirable qualities about you--and one day I am sure there will be a potential suitor who sees this in a romantic light. However, that suitor will not be me. I understand you have a less than suitable habit of pushing boundaries, but I will not allow you to see me as another potential toy. I am a teacher, and you are a student. Don't get me wrong, you are a good friend, but you have always had a terrible habit of equating wanting something to getting something."

There's a stretch of silence where Terezi seems to be mulling over something, probably taking her time due to the alcohol in her system. "Did you offer to drive me home just to patronize me,  _Sir_?"

There's a flicker of emotion from Kankri, but he pushes it aside. He isn't even sure why he's irritated in the first place--how does she always get under his skin? "I offered to drive you home as a favor. You're drunk and your friend was clearly in no state to drive."

"I live twelve minutes away by car, we could have walked it easily."

"Could doesn't mean should."

"I've done it hundreds of times without your help."

"Well," Kankri starts, licking his lips with the sudden realization that they're dry. He doesn't have an argument or explanation. In truth, Terezi has probably walked further under worse conditions. His concern for her is frustrating, but it's easier to pass it off as familial concern rather than anything else. They both fall silent again, listening to the whirls and clicks of his car. Her apartment is the next block away, and he turns to mention it--only to find Terezi with her forehead against the car window. His eyebrows furrow just a fraction, unsure if she's sleeping or about to throw up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm trying to work out if I can melt into the glass," she manages to reply, face sliding down the window a few more inches. In all honesty, Terezi argues so well that Kankri forgets she's actually drunk. She's naturally composed and precise, but these silly thoughts tumble out her head without a filter, and the whole innocence of it leaves him smiling to himself. 

"I don't think you will," Kankri offers, face torn between laughing and frowning. He finally pulls into her road, counting each building until he finds hers. It's a relatively small block and he can't imagine the the rooms are huge, but Terezi takes up so little space that it's probably fitting. He parks the car with a sense of foreboding, already knowing that following drunk Terezi any further is equal to putting his hand into fire and expecting not to get burnt. Despite this, his fingers remove his seat-belt without hesitation.

"We're here," Kankri coughs, shuffling in the driver's seat to reach across and shake Terezi's shoulder. She's warm against his touch, and his hands perfectly fit around the sharp angles of her bones. He awkwardly withdraws his hand from such a revelation, chalking it up to his mind being tired and paying too much attention to her behavior towards him. 

"My apartment is too far away," Terezi whines, shaking her head and hitting it against the window in her drunken haze. Kankri tries not to smirk--because he is not one of  _those_ , who laugh at the struggles of the disabled--but there's a quirk on his lips that is not quite sympathy.

"I understand that your vision is--ah, lacking, but I have to point out that your apartment is literally behind us."

"Too far! I don't think I can make sure a journey," she sighs loudly. "You'll just have to carry me like a princess."

"I'm not carrying you," Kankri sighs back, letting a hand run through the curls of his hair. He should have realized that the alcohol would only encourage her, whilst inebriating her even further. He's sure that she's mostly doing this to play with him, but it's just as likely that she really can't walk without support. Who decided that giving her alcohol was a good idea? Making a mental note to inquire around about an imbecile in shades, Kankri decides to start the long descent into Terezi's games. "But, if you are not adverse to touch or help, then I can escort you to your residence."

"Escort?" Terezi exclaims, giggling as if it's her only income of oxygen. "Oh please, lead the way Prince Charming."

With the begrudging acceptance that Terezi is most definitely laughing at him, not with him, Kankri exits the car and moves around to the passenger seat. He helps her out of the car with a twinge of embarrassment, only heightening when her arms wrap around his waist in a bid to stop herself falling over. She laughs even harder, snorting into the wool of his sweater and swaying enough for Kankri to worry that she really will end up on the ground. He rearranges them so that Terezi is tucked against his side, but he just can't un-loop her arms from his waist. He can feel the pull of her fingers in the material, tightly stretching it as they walk.

"Can I have your keys please, Terezi?" Kankri manages to ask, face carefully staring at the door to the entryway instead of the small body currently wrapped around his. Luckily, she manages to disentangle from herself long enough to rummage through her pockets, and Kankri is firmly looking away from the way her hands trail over her body--carefully running down each hip until she fumbles with the seams. He swallows harshly, mentally berating his trail of thoughts until Terezi is trying to attack the door with her key. "Allow me," he coughs, saving the paintwork from Terezi's forceful misses. 

She relents her grip on the key, allowing Kankri to take it as he pries the metal from her fingers. He feels the heat begin to trickle across his cheeks as her index finger wraps around his. Instead, Kankri ignores her and pulls his hand away, almost angry that she's still playing with him. Is his worth to her really just that of a toy? With confusion and hurt, for reasons he doesn't want to understand, Kankri gets the first door open and grimaces as Terezi slinks an arm around him again. There isn't much he can do about that, and if he doesn't lend her some kind of support then she's going to stumble all over the place. If this was anyone else then he would be fine with just taking them to their residence and going home, so why does everything with Terezi end with him getting wrapped up in her?

Shaking the thought away, Kankri decides the lift is a better option than the stairs. Terezi also agrees, but her face visibly pales as it starts moving. His frustration at her simmers down again, replaced with more confusion and slight curiosity as she rubs her nose into his sweater. It's almost a romantic sort of gesture, but Kankri ends up cutting off that line of thought with the reminder that, again, this is Terezi, and she is probably just playing with him.

"12B, right?" He asks, voice naturally becoming softer. She nods in reply, face still pressed into his side.

The lift stops, and he carefully ushers the two of them out of it, taking slower steps as Terezi's own begin to falter even more. Still, they both make it to her front door without either falling over, and he marks that as an accomplishment.

"Are you okay from here?" Kankri asks, but his feet are already across the threshold and closing the door as Terezi lets go of him staggers across it. His hands instinctively come up behind her, carefully guiding her away from the wall she's about to stumble into. This appears to be his first mistake, as Terezi turns around into his grip so that she's facing him. She moves as if she's about to fall, so Kankri moves back to accommodate her and take her weight. It's only when he realizes that Terezi is pushing him that he begins to piece two and two together. The answer of four finally comes as the back of his legs hit her couch, flailing unexpectedly and falling over. Terezi soon follows him, straddling his lap with less grace than if she was sober.

"Gotcha'" she laughs, hands travelling up his shoulders to steady herself. He protests weakly, trying to flip her onto the other side of the couch so that he can go home--but a small part of him lets her carry on, mesmerized by her cackle and the way her fingers are moving towards his neck, pressing small circles into the skin that isn't covered by his sweater.

"Terezi," he tries to interrupt, but her hand moves from his shoulder to his mouth. She rests her forehead against his, her eyes straining against the blurred vision he knows she's left with. Her gaze leaves him uncomfortable, but he's such a sap that any excuse to simply watch her is one he'll take. This is all dangerously moving downhill.

"Shut up for once," she frowns, slowly lowering her hand from his mouth. "Listen." She jabs the now spare hand into his shoulder, missing a few inches from his chest--which is where he assumes she intended to hit. "You're not a toy; I  _like_  you." With that, she moves forwards and Kankri finds himself making no effort to stop her. She misses his mouth at first, awkwardly hitting his cheek. He notes frustration under her usual calm about such happenings, and the seriousness of her statement finally hits home as she manages to find his lips.

Terezi kisses him sweetly, simply pressing her lips against his until she lingers long enough for her breath to tickle his skin with warmth. It isn't the kiss of a sexually frustrated barely-adult--it's one of someone with drunken sincerity. He feels himself getting hot and bothered and wonders why God bestowed him with such reactions to wholehearted tenderness. If Terezi has noticed his rise in temperature, she doesn't say anything, simply pulling away from his face long enough to slump into his shoulder. Her hands limply grasp at the hem of his sweater, in one tentative action that makes his heart swell. He's so confused, but the serenity of the moment stops him from pushing her away. It repulses him to acknowledge that he wants to hold her and wants to gently stroke her hair until she falls asleep. Kankri doesn't know how to even begin addressing such thoughts, concerned with what Terezi really wants. Is it plausible that her affections are more than simply pushing boundaries? That there's something about him that holds her attention on an emotional level too? He scoffs at the idea, mentally scolding himself for even attempting to overestimate his worth.

"What do you want Terezi?" He finally asks, voice quieter and dripping with doubt. His heart is racing faster and louder than anything he's experienced before, entirely captured by the warmth of her body against his. She still has such a skinny frame: a piranha with it's jaw full of teeth pressed dangerously against the soft skin of his throat. She is going to eat him whole: that he is sure of.

Terezi doesn't reply to him, instead letting her exhales answer the unspoken. He jostles her slightly, flushing at the indignant protests that become mumbled into his neck. "Sleep," Terezi unhappily replies, trying to bury her face further into his body. Kankri shivers as her lips accidentally press against his skin, deciding that sleep would be a very good idea for her right now. He knows he should push her away--make her stand and walk to her bedroom, even if it requires some help to stop her stumbling--but it's easier just to pick her up as she is. One hand moves to support her back, the other awkwardly trying to keep her close by holding onto her hip, instead of areas that could be deemed more inappropriate. Apparently his support isn't enough, and her legs wrap around his hips and stomach with another protest of noises.

It's getting harder and harder to ignore every flutter in his stomach, but Kankri is almost a master of ignoring such things. 

Terezi clings to him like a limpet, arms tightening around him with each step. The fun of drinking seems to be wearing off, leaving her irritated and tired. He sighs at her with sympathy, the hand on her back automatically rubbing in small motions. Kankri doesn't even realize he's doing it until she murmurs something incomprehensible with 'nice' tagged on the end. His breath hitches, but steers himself away from any thoughts that could be considered immoral--she's still drunk, no matter how sincere he thinks she might be.

Her bedroom is easy to locate, although it lacks the posters and colors that Kankri remembers from her childhood. It's kind of odd, but he supposes there's not much for it in rented accommodation. She probably tries to wager with the landlord every time that she sees him, he quietly chuckles with amusement. Something white tumbles off the bed as he manages to get Terezi onto it, finally unclasping her vice grip around his neck. He follows after it, hands coming to meet with a familiar shape. Even though she's all grown up with her adult apartment and adult career, she's still keeping the most sentimental object and the reality of it has that soft smile tugging at his lips again. He manages to work the blanket out from under her body, gently draping it over her form before tucking in the edges. Pyralspite goes next to her head, guarding over her frame as he has done her whole life.

With Terezi safely escorted to a comfortable sleeping arrangement, Kankri finds himself bringing everything she could possibly need to the beside table--paracetamol, water, some light snacks and even turning off her alarm. By the time he's wondering if he should leave her phone there too, it's painfully obvious that he's stalling. He can't bring himself to leave, but he can't think of a reason to stay; trying to have serious talks doesn't work well with those who are hungover. It's time to leave before he can dig himself an earlier grave--before he starts to notice all the small things that are slowly breaking down his denial. Kankri moves to kiss her forehead in goodbye--but falters at the last second and pulls away instead. It's hard to admit that he wants to kiss her so delicately: such a thing was never part of the plan.

Instead, he straightens up and leaves her apartment before he can convince himself to stay. Even in the security of his car, Kankri is on tenterhooks: his fingers fumble to start the ignition and his thoughts stumble back to her lips against his. Shaking, he manages to finally start the car again and pulls out in to the night--face flushed, blood racing and head full of Terezi Pyrope.

**Author's Note:**

> whoops i've been gone a while... life got a little complicated and every time i filled something, my laptop overheated before i thought to save it. i should post a little more regularly now!


End file.
